Gino's [Pictures]

Baltimore Colts alum Gino Marchetti of the Colts has been hailed as one of the all-time best defensive ends in the NFL. He also founded one heckuva fast-food franchise, a staple of the Baltimore area for more than three decades.

Baltimore Colts alum Gino Marchetti of the Colts has been hailed as one of the all-time best defensive ends in the NFL. He also founded one heckuva fast-food franchise, a staple of the Baltimore area for more than three decades. (The Baltimore Sun, 1957)

Gino's, long a staple of Baltimore's fast-food scene, vanished slowly; the last of them, this one on Mountain Road in Pasadena, closed in 1991. But this story has a happy ending, as the franchise has been revived and a new Gino's opened in Towson in August 2011.

Gino's, long a staple of Baltimore's fast-food scene, vanished slowly; the last of them, this one on Mountain Road in Pasadena, closed in 1991. But this story has a happy ending, as the franchise has been revived and a new Gino's opened in Towson in August 2011. (Baltimore Sun Staff File Photo, Baltimore Sun)

A Gino's in New Castle, Del., serving as the backdrop in this photo from a church consecration. Note the rocketship on the sign, which dates the photo probably to the 1960s.

A Gino's in New Castle, Del., serving as the backdrop in this photo from a church consecration. Note the rocketship on the sign, which dates the photo probably to the 1960s. (Photo courtesy Jim Sexton)

For more than three decades, Baltimoreans feasted on the fast food at Gino's, a burger chain with roots going back to the 1950s and Colts greats Gino Marchetti and Alan Ameche. The last Gino's closed in 1991, but hope has remained alive -- and apparently has been rewarded, with news that a...